January 08, 2011

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The second-ranking House Republican said he would postpone the body’s legislative schedule in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (R-Ariz.).

Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), said in a statement that “all legislation currently scheduled to be considered by the House of Representatives next week is being postponed so that we can take whatever actions may be necessary in light of today’s tragedy.”

Among those bills was a repeal of the Democrats’ health care legislation. Republicans also are supposed to head to Baltimore Thursday for their annual legislative retreat.

“Congresswoman Giffords serves Arizona’s 8th District with distinction and thoughtful leadership, and it is horrifying that she was exposed to such violence at an event designed to reach the people she represents,” Cantor said in the statement. “I couldn’t agree more with Speaker Boehner, who earlier said that, ‘an attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve.’ Along with our nation, this institution has suffered a horrible tragedy. We are saddened, mourn those who lost their lives, and stand together in hopeful prayer for the recovery of the victims and their families.”

Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said in a statement Saturday night that Democrats agree to the schedule change.

"The Republican leadership has announced, in consultation with Democratic leadership, that there will be no legislative action in the House next week that does not relate to today's tragic event in Arizona," Hoyer said. "Consideration of Health Care Repeal legislation has been postponed to a later time. We are all keeping the victims and their families in our prayers."

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OK. Yes, you had better postpone so you can take think deeply about what you Repubs have done. I mean you Cantor. What have you done to reach your position of power. Was it worth it? Really? Maryland Dem governor had a 'suspicious' package ignite on him. More 'igniting packages' showed up in the DC post office addressed to Napolitano. Gabby is shot, "thru' and thru'". Now, her office has suspicious packages! Tell me, really that this isn't some crazy Tea Baggers 2nd amendment rights revolution! Just tell me. Here's a clue. Repubs and their sycophants (and I mean you Cantor) need to "man up" and take responsibility for what you have done! You used the crazy (and I mean Crazy) tea baggers to WIN and now look what you have done. Shot "thru' and thru'" a promising young woman like Gabby! How ashamed can you be? Can you be ashamed enough to repudiate and take responsibility for what you have done? Is there enough shame in the world for what you have done? Can you wean yourselves from your addiction to Faux News lies to help you? Can you stop using Crazy Beck to justify your ends despite the means? Can you? Can you? Honestly, are you men? Or are you worms? The level of my disgust for you should only, ONLY be met or exceeded by the level of disgust for yourselves.

Posted By: OK. Yes, you had better postpone so you can take think deeply about what you Repubs have done. I me | January 08, 2011 at 08:38 PM

Two words: GUN CONTROL, people in this day and age simply do not need firearms unless they hunt for subsistence or to control wild populations where the EPA and fisheries and wildlife can prove that x and y population of animals is a pest and needs civillian assistance for control. Handguns need to be serverly limited in clip capacity or to be banned outright as well as the rifles and shotguns that legitimate, licensed hunters have access to, who should heretoforth be subject to quite exstensive MANDATORY MENTAL SCREENINGS as well as background checks as well as frequent follow ups and random inspections on the person. We do not need guns in this day and age, except for quite a small number who have legitimate uses for them. Owning a gun is something that is taken far to lightly in America at far to great of a price, and we need serious change in this area, that will be one good thing that will come out of this, serious gun control that acknowledges even simple and underpowered weapons can cause massive devestation and loss of life, THE SECOND AMENDMENT DOES NOT DIRECTLY STATE THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THEMSELVES GET TO OWN GUNS EN MASSE, THAT IS A PERVERSION OF THE TEXT.

US citizens ("The People") are shot everyday in this country but Congress does not stop. It is a tradgedy when anyone is gunned down, but I find it hypocritical of the Republican lead Congress to stop working when most of the gun control legislation has been stopped by them.
Stop being cowardly and get on with the people's business.
Susie

Posted By: US citizens ("The People") are shot everyday in this country but Congress does not stop. It is a tr | January 08, 2011 at 08:48 PM

All of the liberals screaming for gun control had better make damn sure that someone does something about our open borders before they make any further comments. You really need to think about that, since your government doesn't seem to give a damn about protecting its own citizens against Mexican drug cartels.

Cantor and the Republican leadership are only cancelling the healthcare debate and vote next week because they know that the mood of the country after this terrible tragedy is one of disgust and recognition that their hate-filled rhetoric may have spurred on this violent act. They will wait a couple of weeks for PR reasons and then launch right back into calling healthcare "Obamacare" and urging the public to "take back our country",

Posted By: Cantor and the Republican leadership are only cancelling the healthcare debate and vote next week be | January 08, 2011 at 10:29 PM

It would really help if some of you would learn a little before you start exposing your ignorance and spreading it to the general public! The 2nd amendment to the Constitution explicitly gives citizens the right to keep and bear arms, and any attempt to disarm the citizenry would be a blatant move towards abolishing our rights! Furthermore, it is idiotic to think that banning guns would end gun violence. A large portion of criminals who perpetuated their crimes with firearms should not have been able to get guns based on current laws...however, they found ways to get guns anyway, so banning guns will not stop this problem. While it is tragic that lives have been lost and persons have been gravely injured, now is not the time to scream for the end to our Constitutional rights! Now is the time to pray for the injured and for the victim's families!

The kind of incendiary language used in these comments is exactly what keeps hatred alive - on both sides of the political divide. America was born in political tension and the founding documents show, if anything, the strength of civil dialog and compromise. I can see little evidence of these either in the key politicians (from Obama to McConnell to Reid to Boehner) and certainly not in the pundits and bloggers who throw fuel on a burning house.

DON'T LIE ON OBAMA----HE DON'T SAY ANYTHING NEAGATIVE ABOUT YOU RIGHTWING REPUBLICAN/TEAPARTY. WHEN YOU FINISH POSTING YOUR LIES,,,,,,THE BLOOD IS ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.....WHY VOTE TO RE-PEAL HEALTH CARE WHEN YOU KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE THE VOTES------I WILL TELL YOU-----TO KEEP HATE AND RACISM GOING------YOU PEOPLE ARE SO BENT TO THE RIGHT THAT YOU ARE CRAZY-----THEN YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT GOD.....
REPUBLICANS ARE KILLER---
YOU KILL ABORTION DOCTORS.
YOU STARTED WAR IN IRAQ AND KILLED PEOPLE THERE BECAUSE OF YOU LIES (wmd)
YOU WRAPPED YOURSELVES AROUND 911 BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO HELP THE RESPONDERS.
NOW THIS--------
THE REPUBLICAN/TEAPARTY IS THE PARTY OF LIES AND HATE

Yes, I think it is a good idea to postpone the Health care/ Obama care vote. In light of what has happened, it would really look bad for people outside of the Capitol to be holding violent signs against our president.

Republicans do all they can to belittle public servants at all levels (except themselves, of course)--from the president on down. Meanwhile, Republican talk radio is filled with wackos pushing mentally unbalanced people even further over the edge. Then, in the ultimate irony, they have the audacity to call themselves "patriots".

This wouldn;t have happend if Obama had not been elected and tried to impose socialism on the country. His actions in the first 2 years have led to great polarization like no other president I have seen.

The first poster here obviously has not read the reports on this shooter. He was a mentally deranged individual who would have gone off on anyone. If anything, the dems have been calling for violence themselves (Ellison of Minn most recently).
No Congress should NOT postpone as there is no action to be taken in this case. Ask the shooters friends and family why they never got this guy help as his writings clearly indicate he was a wacko!!!

I hope Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) recovers from the murder attempt. The suspect is a craven excuse for a human being. Killing a 9 year old girl amongst others should weigh heavily upon the soul of the mass murder before he is executed. He will receive the same reward in the afterlife that terrorists receive-an eternity of infinite pain in hell.

This shooting was not caused by Republicans, the Tea Party, or Democrats. It was caused by one man, who is apparently so disturbed that he can barely connect two thoughts, which are unintelligible anyway. If any blame is to go around, I would suggest our public education system (controlled by the left) which surely played a role in the destruction of this young man's rationality. You leftists need to take a good look at the seeds of destruction that you are sowing in today's youth in the nightmare public education institutions that teach nothing but group victimization and collectivism. This kid is not of the pro-reason, pro-capitalist movement for individual rights. He's one of the left's chickens who has come home to roost.

you can't use the retoric that some republicans and the tea party used durring the election and not expect the finger to be pointed at you when something like this happens,whether it's your fault or not, words have consequences,choose them carefully,there are crazies out there who will use them to justify their actions.

Posted By: you can't use the retoric that some republicans and the tea party used durring the election and not | January 09, 2011 at 08:17 AM

Republicans are getting their backs up over some of these comments because they know they are guilty of making statements and posting images of congresspeople "in the crosshairs"that are capable of inciting a crazy person regardless of his politics. They are red-faced and trying to cover it up.

...and similarly, you cannot have a leftist public education system that indoctrinates the young into mindless conformity and not expect the finger to be pointed at YOU (and the left generally) when a crazy man, who is ONLY 22 YEARS OLD, acts out on his whims which were nurtured in that system. A politically divided country is not the source of this violence. Kantian/Hegelian/Marxist ideology is. And that ideology is advocated by the left, all the way up to Pelosi, Reid, and Obama. They are the inciters, the destroyers, and they have unleashed the brutes.

Unfortunately, I learned from this experience something I should have known long ago and certainly it should have never taken an event like this to arrive at a conclusion. I don’t believe the members of the radical right, left, Tea Party, Democrat, Republican or any other political organization are completely at fault for this violent act. Equally at fault are the American people including myself for allowing a few, vocal and disgruntled individuals to set the tone for our political system. The American people allowed their elected officials in the Senate and House to become “ political cage fighters “ that were put in a position of having to fight for their lives everyday.
Many of the American people watched / listened to TV / radio talk shows and did nothing to curb the toxic political environment and display of inappropriate behavior perhaps out of a sense of frustration, indifference or anger about the political process. Other Americans supported and encouraged this toxic political environment to thrive. The predominant theme, impression or message that has been generated from the activities of the House and Senate can be summed by two words…. No Good.
The President is a Socialist, Communist; the legal profession is no good; the educational system is no good; the legal profession is no good; the Federal government is no good; the Federal government is to big and taking away your rights; the media is no good; unions are no good; Federal employees are no good; the Federal Reserve is no good; the banking industry is no good; General Motors is no good; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are no good; the Supreme Court is no good; taxes are no good; government regulations are no good; the welfare programs are no good; Social Security is no good; Medicare is no good; the healthcare industry is no good; Republicans are no good; immigrants are no good; Democrats are no good; Muslims are no good; pension funds are no good and on and on and on. This banter of “ no good “ has been not only resulted in the wrong conclusion but has created an extremely volatile environment that could spark a violent action by an unstable indivdual.
The American people need to define the tone and level of acceptable behavior for our elected officials, political organizations, talk show hosts and any individuals or organizations involved in the political process. Feedback be it positive or negative needs to be immediate and VERY LOUD. As Americans, we should not continue to tolerate behavior that is vitriolic, toxic, counter productive and that could be partially responsible for this tragedy in Arizona. An elected official performing an important part of her job was shot not to mention the death of several other individuals including a 9 year old child. As Americans, we have the responsibility to ensure a tone of civility and respect are the predominant themes of our political process. Of equal importance, we need to provide an environment to the greatest extent possible that our elected officials can go to work each day and perform their job without being afraid their personal safety is at risk

There are too many comments here that assume knowledge of causation, i.e, whether or not violent rhetoric caused the shooting.
Causation should be argued and proven or not proven in the same manner as in other negligence case is analyzed. Was it foreseeable that Sarah Palin's statement could induce violence? Is there a duty to not make statements when it is foreseeable that they could lead to violence? Is there proof of actual causation? This is something for a jury to decide in a proper civil case.

One can only hope that this guy is adequately punished and that this event is not used by the Lefties of all parties to ruin the prospects for repealing Obamacare.
I find it very troubling that the vote on healthcare has now been postponed.

Whether this tragedy was politically motivated or not the reasonable people are now standing up to the ugly rhetoric and the way Palin and Fox incite hatred in others for their own political and financial gain. Sarah isn't after a movement. She is after money. If she wanted to make a change in this world she'd be Governor of Alaska.

Whoever the shooter, the Palink,Fox and the tea baggers will now be held responsible for their rhetoric.